#126

Oh yeah, I don’t find the OT complicated at all. I used to have two MK1 and used them like Ableton in a box. When I got the MK2 many years later, I thought it would rekindle my love for the machine. But after I had the Digitakt, the overall UI just felt a bit dated and slow.

I find the Digitakt just faster to use and simply more fun in comparison. But of course it is much more limited in some regards

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#127

I think for myself and a lot of people, the Octatrack is pretty complex, especially as a first serious sampler. I was a songwriter focused mostly on electric and acoustic instruments in a band context, then went deep into synthesis and recording. While some of that certainly helped prepare me for aspects of how the Octatrack worked, there were still plenty of blind spots. I had an MPC for a bit too but really used it in a pretty elementary fashion in a live performance context for the most part.

Eventually getting my hands on a Digitakt for a while changed my perception of the Octatrack. Once I understood the workflow and concepts of Elektron generally, it made it way easier to approach the Octatrack with a lot less frustration. Now I’m having a blast, but I think the biggest frustration at this point and for a lot of people is it’s easy to lose focus because it does so much. Starting with the Digitakt is a much better move for most people I would imagine, though at this point I’m all in on the Octa.

I also think that some people are better with menus on electronic instruments than others. It took a long time for my mind to adjust to being open to that approach with synthesizers for example. The Octa was no different, and I think the Digitakt is much more accessible in that regard with its layout. Of course that also makes sense considering how much more the Octa can do.

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#128

Thinking about moving from the DT to the analog rytm, and wondering if anyone else has made the same move and could offer an account of their experience?

Sequencing external gear is not super important to me. I’m just growing weary of sample hunting when a different timbre is desired.

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#129

Based on your needs I’d go RYTM. It’s also got a lot of advantages from a performance standpoint. I find it’s synth engine to be more useful as a supplementary addition to samples generally, but certainly I could get by in a lot of contexts with just the built-in analog engine if I needed to. Especially if MIDI sequencing isn’t important, the RYTM is a bit better for your needs and overall a more powerful all around sampler and drum machine. Both are wonderfully accessible from my experience.

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#130

I think the reason to switch to rytm over digi is playability, scenes/performance mode (which really is part of playability) and the analog signal path including the overdrive/distortion/compression. It’s kinda like a digitakt with heat and an analog synth all in one. I make ambient music exclusively and don’t “need” a rytm to do what I’m doing with mine in my “live” sets right now, but I get so much joy out of jamming with it for fun that I few it’s entirely worth it.

Plus, it’s essentially an interface now, and I route my summit into it to take advantage of the compressor.

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#131

can anyone who’s used both comment on the viability of faking monomachine vibes with single cycles in a digitakt?

seems like a fun challenge

#133

I have a DT, and have tried out a MM on a couple occasions. I don’t really feel like the DT can really hit those same levels of weirdness that the MM can, there’s just so much packed in that box. You can certainly get a wide range of sounds out of the DT, and I love having a shitload of single cycle waves loaded in there, but that’s only scratching the surface of what the MM can do. I feel like the best approximation is probably an OT+DN, but at that point you’re probably just better off buying the MM.

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